This thesis provides an anthropological approach to blood transfusion, given that this
treatment is considered a social practice that is infused with meanings and values that are
inscribed within a cultural environment and the clinic itself. The principle objective of this
research is to examine the lived experience of blood transfusions from the point of view of
the receivers and the varied meanings they attach to this procedure. The guiding thread of
the thesis is the multidimensional and polysemic signification of blood and blood
transfusions. We also examine the social connections that are woven or constrained around
the procedure in a context of sociocultural diversity. This project sheds a new light on
blood transfusion, an essential element of care, and provides new data and innovative
insights.
This research follows an ethnographic process inspired by medical anthropology, the
sociology of health and the anthropology of kinship. The comparison of distinct social
worlds is implicitly inscribed in the anthropological approach and consists of an analysis of
each particular context chosen (the intensive care unit, the haematology clinic and the
oncology centre at Sainte Justine mother and child university hospital center). These
contexts are compared with each other in order to deconstruct their similarities and
differences. Our research is qualitative and includes three pathways of data collection: 63
semi-structured interviews with patient and family members, 16 interviews with health
professionals and ethnographic observations of blood transfusions and interactions between
patients, their families and health care professionals. The research data was subjected to a
descriptive content analysis.
We present the religious, cultural, scientific, moralistic and other connotations of blood and
the act of receiving blood. We have examined different elements of families involved and
have identified which ones most influence their manner of living with a blood transfusion;
for example, the hospital setting, the particularities of the clinical case, socioeconomic
status, religious or ethnic identity, the level of education and the relationship between the
family and health care professional. We question the manner in how the practice impacts
the construction of bioidentity, biosociality, and notions of how the body is constituted by
the various actors. We discuss this procedure and its implications on the formation of
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human identity. At the same time, we analyse how economic and social conditions colour
the meanings attached to this treatment and how it is perceived.
We show that not all of blood transfusions are experienced in the same way. Although,
different elements come into play at this level, the hospital context where these practices
take place and the quality of the family-health care professional relationships seem to exert
the greatest influence. The families’ knowledge of the blood transfusion and the issues
linked to informed consent are also discussed in the framework of divergences and
convergences between expert knowledge and layperson knowledge. Finally, we explore
attitudes toward anonymous donation, donation from a known donor and the system of
collection and treatment of blood. The perspectives of participants are discussed in the
framework of critical medical anthropology in relation to the pharmaceutical industry and
the bioindustry of organic matter. We also discuss the social significance of these systems
and their dehumanizing character.